Lesson Ideas

The situation in the fictional nation of Swurudi is descending into chaos. The president was recently assassinated and tribal groups are turning against each other. The world is watching and concerned that violence may spread. Should the international community send military forces to stop a potential genocide? Students must examine reasons and weigh evidence – and ultimately decide whether intervention is appropriate. Does intervention risk further violence? Do humanitarian rights trump national sovereignty? In Drafting Board: Military Intervention, your students decide. Drafting Board is an online essay-building platform that guides students through the process of producing clear and polished persuasive essays. Using this interactive, students will learn to make a claim and support it with evidence and reasoning in order to produce a structured and effective argument. This activity may take more than a full class period, so we encourage educators to preview it fully before assigning to students.

In this lesson plan which is adaptable for grades 5-12, students use BrainPOP resources (including an online game) to explore the process of producing clear and polished opinion essays. Students will use arguments presented in a variety of resource documents to help them form an opinion on a controversial civics issue. They will then use an online essay-building platform to make their claim and support it with evidence and reasoning in order to produce a structured and effective argument. This lesson plan is aligned to Common Core State Standards. See more »

Academic Standards

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

Grade: 06, 07, 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2

Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.

Grade: 06, 07, 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.6

Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).

Grade: 06, 07, 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.8

Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.

Grade: 06, 07, 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.1a

Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.

Grade: 06, 07, 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.2b

Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

Grade: 06, 07, 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.2c

Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.1

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.2

Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.6

Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.8

Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claims.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.1a

Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among the claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2b

Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2c

Use varied transitions and sentence structures to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.1

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.2

Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.8

Evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.1a

Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences the claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.2b

Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.2c

Use varied transitions and sentence structures to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.